Disease:Cucumber Wilt

Cucumber wilt

A few days ago I arrived to find one of our three cucumber vines extremely wilted. Instinctively, I thought "Did I forget to water them this morning? Did I accidentally skip them in my morning routine? Did I do it subconsciously? Do I hate cucumbers but haven't realized it yet? Am I such a horrible person that I can't take care of my plants properly? Imagine how you will do when you have kids. Nooooo!!! "<end rant>. Then the rational part of the brain kicked in. The other two vines which share the same pot weren't wilted so it couldn't have been lack of water. There wasn't anything wrong with this particular vine. In fact, it was thriving, already having produced cucumbers while the other two hadn't. A mystery. I checked my bible and there was no mention of anything that would affect cucumbers so suddenly. Google time. About 607,000 results (0.28 seconds). Answer - Disease:Cucumber Wilt.

Cucumber wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila)  is a bacterial disease transmitted by the cucumber beetle. This animal (actually these animals since cucumber beetle is a term used for various species of beetle) and its larvae can be found in various plants in the Cucurbitaceae family (squash, cucumber, pumpkin, watermelon, etc). They lay eggs on the underside of leaves. Once the larvae hatch they start feeding on the roots of a plant or on the soft stems of young plants. Today's lesson: "Always check the underside of leaves. Bad critters tend to dwell there. Example: cucumber beetles, whiteflies, the dreadful aphids." <end today's lesson> These beetles can also transmit another nasty disease called cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). Hopefully we'll never have to write about that one.

The most obvious symptom of cucumber wilt is vines that have been well watered suddenly wilting. Before this happens though the leaves of your vines will exhibit dull green patches. However, the onset of the disease is so fast that you may never notice this dullness. I know we didn't. After a plant is infected slime clogs the water conducting tissue thus causing the plant to dry out and wilt. Fruits may become wilted themselves. Once a plant becomes infected there is no cure. The best thing to do at that point is to destroy the affected plant. (Doesn't it suck when you realize you are powerless to do anything to save your plants. Lesson: Nature > us)

Prevention is the most important step in controlling cucumber wilt. So how do you prevent it? Healthy plants are naturally more resistant to diseases. Water your plants regularly and inspect them every day. Plants that have been subjected to drought or water stress are more likely to be infected by this disease. If you find any eggs on leaves promptly destroy them by squashing them with your hands. Some sites on the internet suggest putting a cloth or barrier around seedlings and young plants to prevent adults from laying eggs on your plants. Personally, I find this very impractical if you are only planting two or three vines. As a last, last (and we mean last) resort pesticides can be used to kill the eggs and larvae. However, be mindful that at some point you will be consuming fruits from this plant so toxic pesticides should be avoided.

Now you know what to do (or not to do) when you encounter cucumber wilt. If you have experienced this let us know in the comments section. Until next time keep on gardening.